Cover operating mechanism for soaking pits



Jan. 12, 1960 Filed July 18, 1957 H. F. SPENCER COVER OPERATINGMECHANISM FOR SOAKING PITS 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 "11:: ""III' :T?F=| [5% HM1% v Si M g o m INVENTORJ Q Jan. 12, 1960 H. F. SPENCER 2, 2

I COVER OPERATING MECHANISM FOR SOAKING PITS Filed July 18, 1957 6Sheets-Sheet 2 I WT l 1 S v d b INVENTOR. 4 Spam mfl a '4 It i Jan. 12,1960 H. F. SPENCER 2,920,769

COVER OPERATING MECHANISM FOR SOAKING PITS Filed July 18, 1957 6Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

Jan. 12, 1960 H. F. SPENCER 2,920,769

COVER OPERATING MECHANISM FOR SOAKING PITS Filed July 18, 1957 6Sheets-Sheet 4 BY @vamu Jan. 12, 1960 H. F. SPENCER 2,920,769

COVER OPERATING MECHANISM FOR SOAKING FITS Filed July 18, 1957 v 6Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. W 7 5% BY ag, 0 W

Jan. 12, 1960 H. F. SPENCER 2,920,769

COVER OPERATING MECHANISM FOR SOAKING PITS Filed July 18, 1957 6Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR.

@ WWW BY United States Patent l COVER OPERATING MECHANISM FOR SOAKINGPITS I Howard F. Spencer, EvansCity, Pa.

Application July 18, 1957, Serial No. 672,709

. '5 Claims. (Cl. 212-,4)

and because of the high cost of the operating mechanism such as thecover hoist gear reduction mechanism and 7 motor drives, coverhoist andtraversing mechanism for multiple soaking pit installations represents asubstantial investment.

In accordance with the present invention, while each of the soaking pitcovers is provided with its own'traversing carriage, there is nooperating mechanism on the cover carriage. The operating mechanism isprovided through a separate power carriage that carries the coverlifting mechanism, the speed reduction and drive mechanisms, a singlesuch power car or carriage serving a multiple pit furnace. a r

In accordance with the present invention, the cover carriages areprovided with rails for supporting power carriages that are movablethereon and capablefof passing from cover to cover. I I

It is another object of the invention to provide a cover carriage andpower carriage combination in which the power for traversing the covercarriage is supplied by the power carriage through a drive mechanismrendered operative when the pit cover is raised.

It is another objectflof the invention to provide a rail structure forsoaking pit cover carriages and a power car carriage wheel structure andguides that permit the power carriage to be traversedfrom the tracks ofone cover carriage to the tracks of an adjacent cover carriage by meansof transmission mechanism carried by the power carriage.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent fromaconsideration of the accompanying drawings constituting a part hereofin which like reference characters designate like parts and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view diagrammatically illustrating a plurality ofsoaking pits with cover carriages and a power carriage, together with atransfer car;

Figure 2 is a side elevational, view taken along th lines 2-2, Figure l;

Figure 3 is an end elevational view taken along the lines 33, Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a top Plan view of a pair of adjacent soaking pits andcovers with the cover carriage and power car in operative position formanipulating the cover;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view taken along the line 5-5, Figure 4,of a portion, of the cover carriage and power car with their frictiondrives in engagement for propelling the, cover carriage by powertransmitted from the power car;

2,920,769 Patented Jan. 12, 1960 friction drive for the cover carriagetaken along the line 66, Figure 4;

Figure 7 is an end elevational view of the power car and cover carriagetaken along the line 7-7, Figure 4;

Figure 8 is a similar view taken along the line 8-8, Figure 4;

Figure 9 is a side elevational view taken along the line 99, Figure 4;

. Figure 10 is a similar view taken along the line lib-10, Figure 4;and,

Figure 11 is a top plan view diagrammatically illustrating a soaking pitfurnace arrangement in connection with the basic plant layout.

With reference to Figures .1, 2 and 3 of the drawing, the numerals 1 and2 designate soaking pit furnaces, 3 covers therefor, the furnaces beingprovided with top rails 4 and 5 for .fianged wheels 6 that support acover carriage generally designated by the numeral 7. The covercarriages are provided with rails 8 and 9 for supporting wheels 10 of apower car generally designated by the numeral 11, the powercar beingprovided with hoist mechanism as will be hereinafter described. As shownin Figures land 3, a transfer car enerally designated by Figure 2 can becarried by the transfer car 16 which, as

shown in Figure 1, permits moving the power car to any bank of soakingpits such as shown in Figure 1, there being three pits shown in a row ineach bank. 7

The rails 8 .and 9 of the cover carriages are shown extending parallelwiththe wheel axles of the cover car.- riage. The detailed constructionof the cover carriage and power car isjmore clearly shown in connectionwith Figures 4 to 10 of the drawing. As shown in Figure 7, for example,the power carriage 11 is mounted on the cover carriage 7 and by virtueof its flanged wheels 10 is capable of traversing the rails 8 and 9 ontop of the cover carriage 7, The power carriage is capable of traversingthe rails 8 and 9 of one cover carriage and pass across the gap betweenadjacent carriages to the rails 8 and 9 of the adjacent cover carriageby means of what may be termed relay rails 19. These relay railsprovided at opposite ends of the power car carriage 11 engage relay railrollers 20 and 21 and when the power carriage 11 is supported by therollers 20 and 21, the flange wheels 10 drive thepower carriage acrossthe rails from one cover to the other from left to right, as shown inFigures 7 and 8 of the drawings.

The mounting of the power car or carriage with respect to the covercarriage is more clearly shown in Figures 9 and 10 of the drawing. Rails8 and 9 are shown mounted on the carriage frame 7 and flanged wheels 10are supe ported on the rails 8 and 9. The power car carriage frame 11 isjournaled onthe wheel axle 22,, Figures 9 and 10. Shaft 22 is driven bya sprocket chain 23 from a gear reduction mechanism 24 operated by motor25 to cause the power carriage to traverse on the rails: 8- and 9., Thepower carriage 11 is further provided with hoist mechanism whichconsists of hell cranks 26 pivotally mounted on the carriage frame 11 at27, one end of the crank 26 being connected by a link 28 to an eccentricdrive 29 operated through a gear reduction mechanism 30 driven by motor31. (Eonnected at one end to the bell cranks 26 are links 32 having aT-head 33 that is dis: posed in the T-slot of the cover lugs 34 whichare attached to the cover 3 by straps 34a. With the lifting links 32 intheir lowered position, the power car or carriage moves to. bring theT-heads 33 in alignment with the cover lugs 34 and by operating thehoist motor 31, the bell cranks 26 are rocked to raise the links 32which, in turn, raise or lift the cover by its straps 34a.

3 Mounted on the ends of the power carriage frame 11 are friction wheels35 mounted on a shaft 36, the wheels being drivenby a chain 37, Figures7 and 10. Mounted 'on the end of the -cover carriage frame 7 is afriction "wheel 38 driven by a chain 39 from a sprocket wheel 40 mountedon shaft 41. The shaft on which wheel-38 is 'mounted is journaled at 42in abell crank lever, one

arm 43 of which is provided with aroller 44 that engages a ware plate 45of the cover 3. The friction wheel 35 is driven by a motor 46, Figure 4,through transmission or gear reduction mechanism 47. Whenthe hoistmechanism raises the cover 3, it will displace the bell crank 43 andcause the friction wheel 38 to engage the drive wheel 35, as shown inFigure 5, thereby drivingtheshaft 41 ofthe wheel ,6 to traverse thecover carriage, for example, from the position over the soaking pitopening designated by the numeral 2 in Figure 1, to the space betweenthe rows of pits as shown in Figure 1., The engaged position of thefriction rolls is shown in Figure of thedrawing, this being the drivingposition that resultsvwhen the cover is lifted, as shown by the T-headengaging the cover lug in Figure 5 of the drawing. i

The operation of the above-described power carriage and cover carriagemechanisms will now be explained in connection with the diagrammaticviews of Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings.' As shown in Figure 2; thepo wer carriage '11 has raised thetcover suspended from the covercarriage 7 and the cover carriage has been moved to the space betweenthe soaking pit rows 1 and 2 of'Figuret l, the cover 3 having beenremoved from the opening 2 of Figure 1. When covers 3 are in theirraised position, wheels 35 and 38 of the friction drive are engaged, asshown in Figure 5. Drive motor 46 is then energized to drive wheels 35and 38. Wheel 38 will drive wheel axle '41 through chain 39 to rotatewheel 6 of the cover carriage 7 to return above the pit opening 2 andthe hoisting mechanism driven by the transmission 30 is then lowered toseat the cover on the pit opening. As the cover is lowered, the frictiondrive wheels 35 and 38 become disengaged and the cover carriage remainsstationary. The power car or carriage 11 is then caused to traverse thesupporting rails 8 and 9 of the cover carriage to pass from one covercarriage to another or from one of the end cover carriages to thetransfer car 16 by means of which it is transferred on rails 18 toanother row of soaking pits similar to #1 and #2.

1 In Figure 11 of the drawing is shown a different form of basiclayout'wherein the soaking pits are arranged in fours, there being fourgroups of four pits shownin Figure 1. In connection with these pits,there are the plant operating tracks designated by the numerals 55 and56 for ingot buggies and steel delivery tracks. The nu merals 57 and 58designate the walls of a soaking pit furnace; 59 and 60 the covers whichare removed from the furnaces 57 and 58. The cover carriagesaresupported on tracks 4 and 5 and the power car or carriages aresupported on the rails 8 and 9 that are provided on the cover carriages.The rails 8 and 9 at the ends of the rows of pits are extended beyondthe pits as a parking area for the power car. This is also the batterycharging station which may be designated by the numeral 61. Numeral 62designates the stacks for a battery of soaking pits. V

From the foregoing description of the invention, it will be evident thata single power carriage or car may service a plurality of soaking pitsby traversing the rails on top of the cover carriages to thereby becomethe power unit on top of the cover carriage for raising the cover andtraversing the cover carriage to the pit opening or closing position. i

It is also evident that such equipment may be employed with this type'ofbasic plantlayout depending upon the arrangement of the .soaking pits.It is .evident thatthe power mechanisms may be either battery powered orconnected by trolley or otherwise to electric power circuits.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated anddescribed, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications may be made in the details of construction withoutdeparting from the principles herein set forth.

I claim: a

1. In a bank of industrial heating furnaces having openings at thetopand covers for said openings with rails on opposite sides of eachopening, the combination with a cover carriage for each cover movable onsaid rails with the cover suspended therefrom, of a power car movable onsaid carraiges, said power car having hoist mechanism for raising andlowering the covers and having drive mechanism for moving the carriageson their supporting rails, said drive mechanism being inoperative whenthe cover suspended from the carriage is in lowered position.

2. In a bank of industrial heating furnaces havingopenings at the topandcovers for said openings with rails on opposite sides of each opening,the combination with a cover carriage for each cover movable on saidrails with the cover'suspended therefrom, of a power car movable on saidcarriages, said power car having hoist mechanism for raising andlowering the covers and said cover carriage having a driven member formoving it on its supporting rails and said powercar having a poweroperated drive member for actuating said driven member of the covercarriage, said drive and driven members being disconnected when thecover hoist, support is in its raised position. V 1 I 3. In a bank ofindustrial. heating furnaces having openings at the top and covers forsaid openings with rails on opposite sides ofeach opening,.thecombination with a cover carriage for each cover movable on said railswith the cover suspended therefrom, of a power car movable on saidcarriages, said power car having hoist mechanism for raising andlowering the covers and said cover carriage having a driven member formoving it on its supporting rails and said power car having a poweroperated drive member for actuating said driven member of.

riage having a driven member consisting of a friction wheel mounted onan arm of a bell crank lever having a roller mounted on the otherarm inthe path of movement of the cover to beengaged by the cover in itslowered position and said power car having a drive mechanism consistingof a friction wheel for engaging the fric- *tion wheel of the drivenmember to rotate the same when the roller on the bell crank leverengages the cover.

' 5, In a bank of industrial heating furnaces having openings at the.top and covers for said openings with rails on opposite sides of eachopening, the combination with a cover carirage for each cover movable,on said rails with the cover suspended therefrom, said carriages havingrails disposed transversely of the cover carriage rails of a power carhaving wheeled axles for movement on said carriages having rollers abovesaid transverse rails and said power car having relay rails at theirrespective ends extending beyond the edge of the power car to engagesaid carriage rollerswhereby the relay rails are made to bridge the gapbetween adjacent carriage cars for movement of the power car fromone-cover carriage to another.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,873,862 Cone Feb. 17, 1959

